In this month’s ‘Yarnwise’, I took a look at the knitting sticks in the collection of the Bronte Parsonage Museum, here in Yorkshire. And came to some interesting conclusions about the knitting sticks, and the Brontes’ experience of knitting. One conclusion I came to was that at least half of the […]
Category: Knitting
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Miss Ryder Rides Again!
This pattern, based on instructions by Yorkshire knitting writer, Miss Elizabeth Ryder, was originally a downloadable elsewhere on the net. Figured it out last year, and thought I’d put it up for anyone interested in arcane stuff like how to knit an 1860s’ stripey sock. Stockings with vertical stripes were fashionable around the 1790s. Into […]
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The Pointy End
“First Lesson. Stick them with the pointy end.” [ ‘The Game of Thrones’, George R.R.Martin] Inspired by the second series of ‘Game of Thrones’ and Arya with her “Needle”, about to be upon us, I thought it is time to look at the pointy end. Just how pointy an end do we […]
A few people have asked where they can find the pattern for the Adderback gloves, that featured in ‘Yarn Forward’, some time back. They’re here. Apologies for the amateur photography – I don’t have the rights to reproduce the professional photo shoot, so rather than seeing lovely models wearing these you can see my favourite […]
“Mary Murray, an Irishwoman, aged 30, was indicted for stealing a woollen frock, and other articles, as books, shoes, a comb, and various small groceries, the property of Jeremiah Long, mariner. Jeremiah Long deposes that he lodges at Mr. Metcher’s, in Westgate-street; on Saturday night the 26th of June he locked up his room and […]
Have had a knitting filled week or two; from documenting the 1846 Dales glove up in Grasmere, to figuring out how to knit an 1860’s child’s stripey sock, to putting the finishing touches to our inland waterways ganseys and Yorkshire Dales knitting projects for the book. I’m even dreaming in knitting at the moment. That’s […]
My first ever piece of traditional knitting wasn’t a gansey. It was ‘Miss Flora Campbell’s cardigan’, a 1930 Fair Isle cardigan, the pattern worked out in the classic (soon to be re-published!) ‘Traditional Knitting’, by Michael Pearson. Pearson’s book came out in 1984, and I must have clocked it within weeks of it landing in […]
I’ll be presenting a talk at Ganseyfest, the International Gansey Seminar, in Inverness, on Saturday. Details here. Better still, am hoping to learn from other people’s talks and workshops, and see some interesting Scottish ganseys “in the flesh” (wool?) Will be talking about the Yorkshire inland ganseys but also how to use basic genealogical techniques, […]
This morning I had to wait in for A Man. So, to pass the time, I looked up the words “knitted jacket” in the 18thC newspapers. As you do. By the time the Man’s long-awaited plumbing visit happened, it was more a ‘Person From Porlock’ * incident, as I was so engrossed in the […]
One woman didn’t stand for the chauvinistic Anonymous’s poem, and gave him a reply with both barrels blazing. Interesting to note, she was not even a knitter, herself. I hope she took up the needles afterwards. I had a quick look on the 1851 Census for a Katharine/Catherine or Kitty West. No real likely candidates […]
PENELOPE HEMINGWAY 